Caught in the Act (Independence Falls 2)

She stepped inside Big Buck’s, her eyes wide. This place looked nothing like the bar described on the review Web sites. The long wooden bar running along one side of the open space fit the pictures, but the similarities stopped there.

“Looks like they removed the mechanical bull,” Liam said, standing close, his front practically touching her back. But glancing around, he didn’t have much choice. Big Buck’s was packed. People, mostly students from the nearby university, if she had to guess, covered every inch of space, their bodies moving to the bump-and-grind music.

“They do have dancing,” he added, his lips brushing against her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. “But call me crazy, that doesn’t sound like country.”

“It’s not.” The floor beneath her sandals vibrated as the speakers pumped out the kind of music that called for close-contact movement.

“Do you still want to find a manager and ask if they allow dogs?” His hand wrapped around her middle, drawing her back as a pair of drunken girls wobbled past on their outrageously high heels.

“This place is all wrong for Georgia’s bachelorette,” she said, turning her head and looking up at him in order to be heard as she mentally crossed “Country-Western bar with a mechanical bull” off the list.

“Should we head out?” he asked.

His powerful, imposing body acted like a cocoon, shielding her from the wild scene in the bar. The way he held her—possessive and protective—she should run for the door.

“Katie?” he said. “It’s your call.”

She rested her head against his shoulder, silently debating. Stay or go? His arm, wrapped around her center, held her tight. Her hands moved to his forearm, feeling the corded muscles.

“We came all this way,” she said. “Let’s stay for a drink.”

Liam released his hold, laced his fingers through hers, and stepped in front of her. Blazing a path to the bar, he kept her close behind him. Despite the press of bodies, she could smell his unique scent—a lingering hint of the forest mingled with a spicy men’s cologne that drew her in and made her want to stay pressed against him.

Being here, in this bar, she felt as if she’d taken a step back in time. She’d visited places like this, dancing all night, while in college. At first, she’d been trying to erase the hurt she’d left back home, and later she’d come just for fun. Glancing over her shoulder at the crowd of people, couples mixed with groups of mostly girls dancing as if they didn’t have a care in the world, Katie wished she could lose herself in that carefree feeling just for a little while.

“What do you want?” Liam kept his hold on her as he signaled the bartender.

“Something fruity and fun.”

He raised an eyebrow.

The bartender came over before she could reply. Liam relayed her instructions to the young man and ordered a glass of water for himself.

“We don’t do fancy drinks here, man,” the bartender said. “Will vodka and cranberry work?”

She glanced over her shoulder at the crowded dance floor. The rhythm made her want to move, to feel Liam pressing close, dancing with her. Katie turned to the bartender. “Can I change my order to a shot of tequila?”

The bartender cracked a smile. “Sure thing.”

He returned a minute later with their drinks. Katie downed hers and turned to the dance floor. “Drink up. We need to get out there.”

Liam set his water back on the bar and took her hand, leading her around the side of the dance floor. On the edge of the crowd in a dimly lit corner, he drew her close.

His hands on her hips, he allowed her to set the rhythm. The shot combined with the frantic, building beat of the unfamiliar music and left her feeling bold. This man, this solid wall of enticing muscle—he’d made his desire clear the other night in the restaurant. And out here, in this wild crush of people, she wanted to lead him past words, drawing him headlong into touching, feeling.

She ran her hands down his chest, over his chiseled abs, and around to his back. Drifting lower still, she pressed her palms against his butt. He allowed her to pull him close.

“Katie,” he growled.

“No words this time,” she said. “Show me.”

“Here?”

She nodded.

Without warning, he spun her around and drew her back flush against his chest. His arms banded around her, his palms pressed flat against her stomach. He guided her back, away from the dance floor and into the shadows. As they moved closer to the large subwoofer resting on the floor, shaking the ground beneath their feet, it was impossible to hear anything but the music. If he wanted to issue commands, he would need to use his hands and body.

Katie let out a low moan. This was her seduction. But the way his hands moved, brushing her thigh, running up the bare flesh, dipping below the hem of her skirt—he’d taken over.